Gas compressors



June 19, 1962 P. REICHNER 3,039,675

GAS coMPREssoRs Filed June 30, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 19, 1952 A P. RElcHNER 3,039,675

GAS COMPRESSORS Filed June 50, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 11. f f

Invezzuf.- ,PAW Rezczaezg nie j 3,039,675 GAS COMPRESSGRS Philip Reichner, Raytown, Mo., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 30, 1960, Ser. No. 40,032 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-114) This invention relates to gas compressors, and relates more particularly to spin vanes for adjusting the outputs of gas compressors.

Adjustable spin vanes are widely used for varying the outputs of constant speed, centrifugal fans. Their advantages and methods of operation are fully described in the U.S. patents of H. F. Hagen, Nos. 1,846,863 and 1,989,413. Such prior spin vanes have been pivoted so that their angular positions could be varied to change the outputs of the fans. The vane shapes have been selected for most eflicient operation at a particular setting, and at other angular positions have been less eicient. Such prior spin vanes have been rotated about their axes by gearing contained within annular casings extending, within the gas inlet passages, around the fan shafts, which so block such passages that they cannot be used effectively in gas compressors, the rotors of which operate at high speed, and which have relatively small, gas inlet passages.

This invention overcomes the disadvantages of such prior spin vane assemblies by providing in a rotary turret, a number of sets of fixed spin vanes, eachset having vanes designed to give maximum efficiency at a particular capacity reduction, the different sets providing different capacity reductions. By rotation of the turret, the proper spin vane set for a desired capacity reduction `is placed in the gas inlet passage of a compressor.

An object of this invention is to provide spin vanes for capacity control of a constant speed, gas compressor, which operate at maximum eliciency at different capacity reductions.

Another object of this invention is to use different sets of iixed spin vanes in -the gas inlet passage of a constant speed, gas compressor for providing different capacity reductions.

This invention will now be described with reference to the annexed drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front view of a gas compressor embodying this invention, and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side section of the compressor.

The compressor has a rotor hub 1i) with -blades 12, on a rotary shaft 11. Arranged around the rotor is a scrollshaped casing 14 having a passage 13 into which the blades discharge. The casing has a cylindrical wall 16 which forms a gas inlet passage 17 axially aligned with the inlet edges of the blades 12. The construction described so far with reference to the drawings is conventional. This invention adds to such a compressor, a turret 2li having a rotary shaft 21 within a bearing sleeve 22 which is formed as a part of the casing 14. The turret has six, equally spaced-apart, circular, gas inlet openings 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 having their centers on a circle the center of which is the center of the shaft 21. The axis of the shaft l11 if projected to the turret, would also touch this circle. The circles 24-29 have the same diameter as the gas inlet passage 17, and when the turret is rotated by the shaft 21', the circles 24-29 will line up in succession with the passage 17.

The circular opening 24 contains four, equally spacedapart, radial struts 3l) which have their outer ends secured to the turret 26, and which have their inner ends secured within slots in a streamlining, rounded nose 31, and which suppor-t the latter. The opening 24 when aligned with the passage 17 as shown by the drawings,

permits the compressor to operate at maximum capacity.

The circular opening 25 contains eight, generally radially extending, spin inducing vanes 32 which have their inner ends secured within slots in a streamlining, rounded nose 33, and which have their outer ends secured to the turret 20. The vanes 32 support the noses 33. The vanes 32 are set at angles to their axes to induce spin in the gas passing the vanes when the opening 25 is aligned with the passage 17, to cause a reduced compressor capacity which may be 162/s% below maximum. The vanes 32 are shaped -to operate most eiiiciently at that setting.

The circular opening 26 contains eight, generally radially extending, spin inducing vanes 34 which have their outer ends secured -to the turret 20, and which have their inner ends secured within slots in a streamlining, rounded nose 35, and which suppor-t the latter. The vanes 34 are set at angles to their axes which are larger than the vanes 32 are set, to induce spin in the gas passing the vanes 34 when the opening 26 is aligned with the passage 17, to cause a reduced compressor capacity which may be 331/s% below maximum. The vanes 34 are shaped to operate most eciently at their setting.

The circular opening 27 contains eight, generally radially extending, spin inducing vanes 36 which have their outer ends secured to the turret 20, and which have their inner ends secured within slots in a streamlining, rounded nose 37, and which support the latter. The vanes 36 are set at angles to their axes which are larger than the angles to which the vanes 34 are set, to induce spin in the gas passing the vanes 36 when the opening 27 is aligned with the passage 17, to cause a reduced compressor capacity which may be 50% below maximum. The vanes 36 are shaped to operate most efficiently at their setting.

The circular opening 2S contains eight, generally radially extending, spin inducing vanes 38 which have their outer ends secured `to the turret 26, and which have their inner ends secured within slots in a streamlining, rounded nose 39, and which support the latter. The vanes 38 are set at angles to their axes which are larger than the vanes 36 are set, to induce spin in the gas passing the vanes 38 when the opening 2S is aligned with the passage 17, to cause a reduced compressor capacity which may be 66%% below maximum. The vanes 3S are shaped to operate most efficiently at their setting.

The circular opening 29 contains eight, generally radially extending, spin inducing vanes 4t) which have their outer ends secured to the turret 20, and which have their inner ends secured lwithin slots in a streamlining, rounded nose 411, and which support the latter. The vanes 4G' are set at angles to their axes which are larger than the vanes 38 are set, to induce spin in the gas passing the vanes 4t? when the opening 29 is aligned with the passage 17, to cause a reduced compressor capacity which may be 83%% below maximum. The vanes 40 are shaped to have maximum efficiency at -their setting.

The streamlining, rounded noses 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 and 41 are provided for streamlining the gas flo'w past the flat air inlet side of the hub 110, and have inner diameters equal to the diameter of the air inlet side of the hub. They, in effect, form rounded noses for the hub when their respective turret openings are aligned with the passage 17.

The turret 20, lwhich is circular, has six, equally spaced-apart, semi-cylindrical detents 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 and 50 formed in its periphery, and which are adapted to be engaged by a detent ball 51 which is contained within a slot 52 in the casing 14, and which is urged towards the periphery of the turret by a coiled spring 53 in the slot 52. The ball 5,1 engages the detent 46 for holding the opening 24 aligned with the passage 17 as shown by the drawings. The ball 51 would engage the detents 47,

J 43, 49, 50 and 4S for holding the openings 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 respectively, aligned with the passage 17.

The turret rotating shaft 21 would be provided with a manually operated crank or other suitable mechanism for rotating the turret to place in the passage 17, the selected circular opening 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 or 29.

What is claimed, is:

1. ln a gas compressor having a rotor hub with blades around its gas inlet end, and having means forming a gas inlet passage aligned with the gas inlet edges of said blades, the combination o a turret plate supported for rotation about an axis parallel `to the axis of said hub, said plate having an outer portion movable across said passage when said plate is rotated, said portion having a plurality of spaced-apart openings, said openings being circular and having centers on a circle on which is said axis of said hub, streamlining, rounded noses at the cen ters or" said openings, struts in one of said openings extending from the nose in said one opening to the periphery of said one opening, spin inducing vanes in the others of said openings extending from said noses in said other openings to the peripheries of said other openings, the spin vanes in each of said other openings being arranged diierently from the spin vanes in the others of said other openings, and means for rotating said plate for lining-up diierent ones of said openings with said passage.

2. In a gas compressor having a rotor hub with blades around its gas inlet end, and having means forming a gas inlet passage aligned with the gas inlet edges of said blades, the combination of a turret plate `supported for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said hub, said plate having an outer portion movable across said passage when said plate is rotated, said portion having a plurality of spaced-apart, circular openings having centers on a circle on which is the axis of said hub, streamlining, rounded noses at the centers of said openings, struts in one of said openings supporting the nose in said one opening from the periphery of said one opening, spin inducing vanes extending from the other noses to the peripheries of said other openings and supporting said other noses from said plate, the spin vanes in each of said other openings being arranged dilferently from the spin vanes in the others of said other openings, and means for rotating said plate for lining-up diterent ones of said openings with said passage.

3. in a gas compressor having a bladed rotor, and having a gas inlet passage aligned with the gas inlet of said rotor, the combination of a circular turret plate sup ported for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said rotor, said plate having a peripheral portion movable across said passage when said plate is rotated, said portion having a plurality of spaced-apart, circular open ings which line up in succession with said passage when said plate is rotated, streamlining, rounded noses at the centers of said openings, all of said openings except onel having spin inducing vanes extending from their noses to their peripheries, the spin vanes in each of said openings Which contain spin vanes being arranged differently from the spin vanes in the other openings which contain spin vanes, means for rotating said plate, spaced-apart detent means, one for each of said openings, in the edge ofesaid plate, and stationary detent means for engaging said spaced-apart detent means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 458,762 Charonnat Sept. 1, 1891 562,410 Moon June 23, 1896 2,510,356 Werts June 6, 1950 2,614,747 Christensen Oct. 2l, 1952 2,621,848 Bentley Dec. 16, 1952 2,790,680 Rosholt Apr. 30, 1957 

